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Bryorfield Novr 14th 1866

General O. Brown,

Sir,
I occupy one of the shanties erected by the Government on my farm. I am told, under orders, they are to be sold shortly, which would leave me no shelter for myself and family. I have no money to enable me to purchase. The house I occupy and three or four others of the smaller tenements, would be necessary for me, as I have not a single out house for any purpose whatever. My crops are yet unhoused, and this number would enable me to secure most if not all of them. I had on my farm before the war every house necessary for my use and comfort, most of these were taken down to build soldier's quarters at Newport News. All of the others were burned. Two saw mills were erected on my Land by the Government, millions of feet of timber from five hundred acres of forest Land were cut, besides rendering useless more than [[1000?]] acres of arable land by the accumulation of sawdust. I have had heavy losses, and suffered much inconvenience and privation, living chiefly for the last six years on the kindly charity of my friends. I am an old man, and very feeble, unable to work or

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sections of this are very difficult to read... please look carefully at sections with question marks ---------- Reopened for Editing 2023-09-15 11:58:35 Briarfield ---------- Reopened for Editing 2023-09-15 17:05:44